Miniature door-mounted basketball hoop

ABSTRACT

The miniature basketball hoop of the present invention includes a rectangular backboard having front and rear faces. The backboard is transparent substantially across its entire area. A pair of spaced apart hooks are provided on the top of the backboard to hook the backboard over the top of a door. The hoop includes a break-away rim mounted to the front of the backboard, and sound dampening material on the rear face of the backboard, so as to minimize sound when a ball hits the backboard or rim during use.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of a provisional application Ser. No. 61/181,092 filed May 26, 2009, and which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various forms of miniature basketball hoops are well known for mounting on bedroom, dorm room, and office doors. Such prior art miniature hoops normally include a backboard with a rounded top edge and one or two hooks on the backboard for mounting over the top edge of the door. The construction of these prior art mini hoops is generally lightweight, such that the hoops do not withstand slam dunks or other abuse. For example, such miniature hoops typically are rigid, such that a slam dunk either breaks the rim or breaks the hooks which mount the hoop to the door.

Prior art hoops also tend to be noisy during use, when the ball hits the backboard or the rim, because there is no padding or sound dampening material between the backboard and the door. Typically, the rear face of the backboard typically engages the surface of the door loosely, and thus rattles when hit by a ball. The door is also subject to scratches by the direct contact between the backboard and the door.

Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved miniature basketball hoop for mounting on a door.

Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved door-mounted miniature basketball hoop having sound dampening material between the backboard and the door.

A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a miniature basketball hoop for use on a door without scratching or damaging the door.

Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved door-mounted miniature basketball hoop having a break-away rim.

Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved miniature basketball hoop for mounting on a door whose appearance from the front of the door closely resembles an NBA-style backboard and rim.

A further objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved miniature basketball hoop which can be quickly and easily mounted and dismounted on a door.

Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved miniature basketball hoop for door mounting which is durable and safe in use.

These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the miniature basketball backboard and hoop according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the backboard and hoop, with the net removed for clarity.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation view of the backboard and hoop, with the net removed for clarity.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the backboard and hoop, with the net removed for clarity.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the backboard and hoop, with the net removed for clarity.

FIG. 6 is a left-side elevation view of the backboard and hoop.

FIG. 7 is a right-side elevation view of the backboard and hoop.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the backboard and hoop mounted on a door, with the door shown in broken lines.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along lines 9-9 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The basketball hoop 10 of the present invention generally includes a polycarbonate, shatterproof backboard 12 to which a break-away rim 14 is mounted. The backboard 12 is rectangular and includes front and rear faces. The backboard 12 is transparent substantially across its full dimension, except for an outer perimeter strip or band 16 adjacent the four perimeter edges of the backboard 12, and the bank target 18 above the rim 14. A pair of hooks 20 are mounted on the rear face of the backboard 12 and extend rearwardly and downwardly from the upper edge of the backboard 12. Thus, the hooks 20 are substantially hidden by the door when the hoop 10 is mounted on the door. Preferably, the hooks 20 are a squared C-shape, with a forward leg 21, a rearward leg 23, and a top web 25. The front leg 21 is secured to the backboard 12 by one or more bolts 27. The lower end 29 of the rear leg 23 may be flared to facilitate mounting of the hoop 10 on the door.

The rim assembly 14 includes a pair of mounting plates 22, 24 positioned on opposite sides of the backboard 12 and secured thereto by a plurality of bolts 26. A horizontal plate 28 is pinned to the front mounting plate 22 via a hinge 30. A metal rim 32 is welded to the front edge of the upper horizontal plate 28. The hinge 30 includes first and second pairs of hinge tubes or collars 31, 33 welded to the plates 22, 28 respectively, with a hinge pin 35 extending through the aligned collars, so that the horizontal plate 28, to which the rim 32 is welded, can pivot relative to the plate 22. A lower horizontal plate 34 is welded to the front mounting plate 22. A spring 36 extends between the upper and lower horizontal plates 28, 34 such that the rim 32 is spring biased, so as to be a break-away rim which pivots resiliently downwardly when a ball is dunked through the rim 32. The spring 36 normally biases the rim 32 back to a horizontal position after a dunk is completed.

The rim 32 includes a plurality of hooks 38 to which a basketball net 40 is removably mounted.

At least one sound dampener 42 is provided on the rear face of the backboard 12. Preferably, the sound dampener 42 is in the form of a resilient, soft rubber or foam strip extending around the outer perimeter of the rear face of the backboard 12 so as to engage the door when the hoop 10 is mounted on the door. The sound dampener 42 also protects the door against scratches from the backboard 12. A secondary sound dampener 44 may be provided on the rear face of the backboard 12 immediately behind the target 18. The first and second sound dampeners 42, 44 form substantially concentric inner and outer rings, as seen in FIG. 3. A sound damper 46 is also provided on the back of plate 24. Thus, the sound dampeners 42, 44, 46 are hidden by the perimeter strip 16, the target 18 on the front face of the backboard 12, and the plate 24.

A miniature basketball (not shown) is provided for shooting through the rim 32 and the net 40.

The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives. 

1. A miniature basketball hoop, comprising: a rectangular backboard having front and rear faces and being transparent across substantially its entire area; a pair of spaced apart hooks on the top of the backboard to hook the backboard over a top edge of a door; a break-away rim mounted to the front face of the backboard; and a sound dampener on the rear face of the backboard.
 2. The miniature basketball hoop of claim 1 wherein the sound dampener extends adjacent the perimeter of the backboard.
 3. The miniature basketball hoop of claim 2 wherein the backboard has a bank target on the front face and the sound dampener is aligned with the bank target.
 4. The miniature basketball hoop of claim 1 wherein the backboard has a bank target, and the sound dampener is aligned with the bank target.
 5. The miniature basketball hoop of claim 1 wherein the sound dampener is rubber.
 6. The miniature basketball hoop of claim 1 wherein the sound dampener includes concentric inner and outer rings of foam.
 7. The miniature basketball hoop of claim 1 wherein the backboard is constructed of shatterproof polycarbonate material.
 8. The miniature basketball hoop of claim 1 further comprising a mounting bracket for the rim, including a spring to allow the rim to resiliently pivot downward from a horizontal position.
 9. The miniature basketball hoop of claim 1 wherein the hooks do not extend above the backboard.
 10. The miniature basketball hoop of claim 1 wherein the backboard has a horizontal top edge and the hooks extend rearwardly and downwardly from the top edge.
 11. A door-mounted miniature basketball hoop, comprising: a backboard having front and back sides; a rim on the front side of the backboard; at least one hook on the backboard to hang the hoop from the top of a door; and sound dampening material on the back side of the backboard to engage the door when the hoop hangs from the door.
 12. The basketball hoop of claim 11 wherein the rim is pivotally mounted to the backboard.
 13. The basketball hoop of claim 11 wherein the rim is spring biased between a normal horizontal position and a lower position.
 14. The backboard hoop of claim 11 wherein the sound dampener is resilient.
 15. The backboard hoop of claim 11 wherein the sound dampener extends adjacent the perimeter of the backboard.
 16. The backboard hoop of claim 11 wherein the backboard has a bank target, and the sound dampener is aligned with the bank target.
 17. The backboard hoop of claim 11 wherein the sound dampener includes concentric inner and outer rings of foam.
 18. The backboard hoop of claim 11 wherein the backboard is constructed of shatterproof polycarbonate material.
 19. The backboard hoop of claim 11 wherein the hooks do not extend above the backboard.
 20. The backboard hoop of claim 11 wherein the backboard has a horizontal top edge and the hooks extend rearwardly and downwardly from the top edge. 